St Martin's Church () is a red brick church in

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

, Denmark. It was built from 1494 to 1520 on the site of an earlier church which was first mentioned in 1346.

History and architecture

The red-brick building stands on a Romanesque ashlar foundation which served a former church mentioned in sources from 1346. Dedicated to

St Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hungary), he converted ...

, it is the only remaining church of the five built in Randers during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. A Latin inscription above the altar states it was built by Prior J (i.e. Jens Mathiesen) in 1494. It originally formed part of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit (Helligåndskloster) but became a parish church in 1534, shortly before the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. The church now consists of a central nave flanked by aisles on either side. It leads to a polygonal chancel at the east end which is rather lower than the nave itself. The north aisle has ten walled-in arches intended to provide access to the monastery. The windows are pointed Gothic. King John's Chapel to the south resembles a small transept, as in Aarhus Cathedral. The west tower was built in 1795 although the carved tower door with a scene from

Ezekiel Ezekiel, also spelled Ezechiel (; ; ), was an Israelite priest. The Book of Ezekiel, relating his visions and acts, is named after him. The Abrahamic religions acknowledge Ezekiel as a prophet. According to the narrative, Ezekiel prophesied ...

(c. 1700) probably originally served another entrance. It is believed to be the work of Lauridtz Jensen from Essenbæk. The church was renovated from 1868–70 under the leadership of Fritz Uldall.

Interior and furnishings

The Baroque altarpiece from 1765 stands above a wooden altar painted to look like marble. The altar paintings are of the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, The Last Supper and the

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings or Visitation of the Wise Men is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having fo ...

. The current painting on the altarpiece flanked by

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

is a work by

Per Kirkeby Per Kirkeby (1 September 1938 – 9 May 2018) was a Danish Painting, painter, poet, film maker and sculptor. His works have been exhibited worldwide and are represented in many important public collections, including the Tate, Metropolitan Museum ...

from 2004 depicting Christ in the

Garden of Gethsemane Gethsemane ( ) is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus Christ underwent the Agony in the Garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. The garden is ...

. The carved oak pulpit and canopy from 1686 are also the work of Jensen. The reliefs depict Christ's Passion flanked by sculpted portraits of the Four Apostles. Jensen also created the carved baptismal screen (late 17th century). The modern Cubic block-shaped baptismal font is the work of Jais Nielsen (1951). The organ from 1751 has been renovated and rebuilt several times since 1918, most recently by P.G. Andersen in connection with the church's 500th anniversary in 1994.

Gallery

Nordenskirker_Morten(11).jpg, Interior looking east Nordenskirker Morten(33).jpg, Interior looking west Nordenskirker Morten(25).jpg, Pulpit Nordenskirker Morten(52).jpg, Baptismal screen Nordenskirker Morten(19) Font (Jais Neilsen).JPG, Font Nordenskirker Morten(40).jpg, Organ

References

External links

Sct. Mortens Sogn (in Danish) with several illustrations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martins Church, Randers Buildings and structures completed in 1494 Churches completed in the 1490s 15th-century churches in Denmark Churches in the Central Denmark Region Randers Churches in the Diocese of Aarhus